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Since the mid 80s, Tila’s has challenged the boundaries of traditional Mexican cuisine with inspired, age-old family recipes. From brie cheese and pear quesadillas to tequila-marinated salmon with kiwi and mango slices, the cuisine is anything but predictable. Only the vivid imagination and tequila-inspired tastes of Tila’s could conjure up such extraordinary fare. Favorites include Salmon Borracho, Filet Mignon, Chiles en Nogada, and our signature marinated Chilean Sea Bass. The patio is a perfect retreat for the neighborhood crowd to unwind after a long, weekend shopping or as a precursor to the night ahead. With homemade, all natural margaritas and a selection of over 60 premium tequilas, patrons will be inspired to do absolutely nothing at all. Tila’s is warm, friendly and comfortable without any pretensions. From our family to yours come and enjoy!

Tila’s offers authentic interior Mexican/Continental Cuisine, full bar, concentrationg on our Fresh Lime Juice Margaritas with 50 + 100% agave Premium Tequilas. Our offerings stand out for the Freshness and cleanliness of taste. Our off-menu specials include creative and sophisticated choices of Filet Mignon, Chilean Sea Bas, Chiles en Nogada, Manchego and Mole chicken. Our atmosphere is comfortable, intimate, cozy, romantic and stunning, inside, or on our inviting and exquisite patio.

Take it to Tila’s tiny terra-cotta adobe for smooth margaritas and earthy, Santa Fe-style ambience. Expect a well-heeled clientele who are comfortable forking over extra pesos to hang in their element and nosh on designer Mexican food.

Sophisticated eating starts with rosy, tequila-marinated smoked salmon or rich nutmeg-laced corn and carrot bisque. Don’t let the poorly dressed ensalada No. 1 derail you. Keep it complex with engaging (albeit uneven) mains: stuffed chicken endive or spicy pork tenderloin medallions with basil-mint pesto. Or go traditional with tangy, chili-sauced spinach enchiladas and smoky black beans, deftly prepared chili rellenos, or generous tortas stuffed with roasted carnitas and the works. Finish with the dubious sounding but decadent ancho fudge pie or cinnamon-kissed Mexican hot cocoa–both wickedly warming.

Reviews

You must try it!  5 Star Rating – World class
By Maya G. | insider_expert Insider Expert | Rank: 5,903

Tila’s is a unique favorite of mine. I;ve been going here every month or so for the past four years. The patio dining is great in the summer, and they make awesome gazpacho and margaritas. In the winter, dine inside and get cozy with their roasted red bell pepper soup or the carrot corn bisque. I have to admit I sometimes come here just to fill up on their amazing chips and (warm) red and green salsa, and just get a bowl of soup… but they’ve always been gracious whether you’re ordering a lot or a little.

PROS: great, unique food selection, patio dining, happy hour
CONS: parking – often need valet

95% of Mexican Restaurants in Houston are Tex-Mex. This one is real authentic Mexican food and it is delicious. It is a great place to take a date. It has good atmosphere, and the service is outstanding. I had the rotiserre half chicken and I had to take some of it home because I got full. It is also reasonablly priced so you can be cheap without appearing to be cheap. I highly reccommed this restaurant.
Pros: Best Real Mexican Food in Town
Cons: None
Posted 04/06/09

best waiter in a mexican restaurant 5 Star Rating – World class
By dollyhouston

i just recently went to a great mexican restaurant on the curve of south shepherd in the river oaks this weekend. my husband and our freinds were so impressed by the food and most important the waiter we had. His name was Frank and he remembered all of our names at the table. We ordered one of all the specials he mentioned to us. His tequila knowledge blew us away not being latino, we were wowed especially by his little jokes. Tila sure can cook! This food is no TexMex. If you want a real mole sauce, Tila has got it! Ask for Frank if you want to be treated like royalty! Dont forget the plates are hot, like Frank said to my wife, This plate is muy calliente, just like you! I can only say ask for Frank, eat here, and be ready to have good food great service and a good time…..
Pros: staff is good if you have frank or roberto
Cons: small portions
Posted 09/07/08

Perfect for brunch on a nice day 5 Star Rating – World class
By vanillabean18

We sat outside on the patio for brunch, and it was a very nice atmosphere. I had chilequiles with scrambled egg which was delicious! My bf had the juevos rancheros and he was equally impressed. The margaritas were good as well. Bloody mary is too spicy though.
Pros: Good food, nice waiters
Cons: Restrooms.
Posted 03/25/09

Joe P.
Houston, TX
4 star rating
4/27/2009

My girlfriend and I have been wanting to try this place for awhile. Mom came in town this weekend, and we decided to give it a try.

Great service, even better food, and a quieter / less “be seen” atmosphere then Cyclone’s and El Tiempo.

The queso-esque appetizer was very good, despite not being the biggest fan of mushrooms. Everything that we got there was good. I liked my order (Spicy Pork Medallions) the best, but my girlfriend had a great Carne Asada, my mom had a wonderful snapper special, and my buddy enjoyed his filet mignon.

I will definitely be going back

Oh, and one more thing – the straight-up margarita was very good

Lisa A.
Houston, TX
4 star rating
11/24/2008
This is my kind of Mexican food mainly because it’s not Tex-Mex. Tila is proud of that and she’ll be the first to tell you that she lived outside of Mexico City so this is the real deal. We stopped by Tila’s for the first time a couple of months ago and tried out the enchiladas. They’re fresh, tasty and if you get the shrimp enchiladas on special they’re also…expensive.

This week I hosted an early evening reception/party at Tila’s and Tila and her staff were a pleasure to work with while planning the party and the food and margaritas were excellent. It’s really a perfect place for a small (100 people or less) cocktail party for friends. Most of the party-goers hadn’t been to the restaurant and they we’re all looking forward to going back and trying entrees or a margarita on the patio.

Check it out but don’t expect Tex-Mex fare (queso) just fresh Mexican food served with a smile.

Crystal L.
Houston, TX
4 star rating
7/29/2008
I have been a fan of Tila’s for nearly 5 years now. And I gotta say, the food is more consistent than any other place I’ve been to in Houston! The service on the other hand… has almost always been inconsistent. I actually started requesting the waiters I knew were good, and steering clear of the ones i knew weren’t.

First off, who doesn’t love that warm salsa roja and salsa verde accompanied by tortilla and plantain chips that immediately gets brought to the table when you sit down. Mmmmmmm…

Next matter at hand… everything is good! Yes really. If I could eat this much food, this is what I would get: Cucumbers and Jicama appetizer, fideo soup, and the Huachinango (red snapper).

Lately I’ve been coming here for the brunch. Its never so busy I have to wait and the food is amazing. The fruit plate comes with the best banana bread I’ve ever encountered. And the patio with an air conditioned fan and great view of everyone waiting to get seated across the street at backstreet cafe is great!

Tila herself is usually somewhere to be found in the restaurant. I once had a waiter from there tell me she was a witch. Well she can keep putting spells on that food cause damn its good!

Oh yeah and as for the bar… definitely over priced Tequila but they do boast some 70 different Tequilas or so.

Next time you go to Tila’s, be sure and look around inside… she has pigs and dragonfly as decor all over the place! I see a new one every time I go.

Burt C.
Houston, TX
5 star rating
5/17/2008
This is not Tex-Mex, people.  This is REAL Mexican fare (or so I’ve been told)!

I popped into Tila’s with a group of about 10 friends last night for a late dinner and was immediately impressed.  Our reservation was for 11, but the table ahead of us (large parties are often times hard to seat) had been sitting there for over 3.5 hours – a good sign, in my opinion.  We walked up to the hostess stand and the nicest lady greets us and immediately apologizes that it may be another couple of minutes.  Normally, I would be pretty annoyed that a reservation didn’t seat on time, but she was so nice and offered to take our drink orders immediately and get the evening started.  Later, I find out this is actually Tila herself.  Anyways, long story short, she bent over backwards to make us feel welcome before we even sat down.

Appetizers: We had the ceviche, guacamole, marinated shrimp and the standard chips/salsa that are bought to each table.  Right off the bat, I was VERY impressed with the freshness of the food.  I am a huge fan of avocados and the guacamole was some of the best I have had in Houston.  The ceviche, with shrimp, halibut, spices and avocados was definitely the best I’ve had while in Texas.  The marinated shrimp were a huge hit as well.  Chips and salsa are often times the first impression that you get of a place.  I’m happy to report that they have some fantastic red and green sauce along with very light and crispy chips.  I could eat these all day, but I decided to try the rest of the dishes as well.  The chips go great with the nothing short of divine ceviche!

Main Course: After Tila (yes, she actually took our whole order as well) went through a long list of specials, my attention was completely distracted from the outstanding menu.  I opted for one of the great specials she mentioned as she is quite the storyteller.  She made them sound so great!  Tila did not disappoint; my blackened Chilean Sea Bass with creamed spinach and black beans was excellent!  The flavor was not too powerful and the texture was amazing.  Fish can be a very hard dish to prepare well.  Tila had not problem tackling the task.  The creamed spinach was very good and the black beans didn’t taste too heavy or like they had lard in them. Some of my friends had various dishes and they were equally as delighted.  I am not sure how often she runs the blackened sea bass special, but this is a must try if you’re a fish lover!

Drinks: The pomegranate, mango and raspberry margaritas were a hit with many in the group.  I however opted for a mojito and was again pleasantly surprised.  The drink was light and fresh and had a lot of mint (which I asked for).  It was not too sweet and had a decent amount of rum in it.

Service: Throughout the meal, service was impeccable.  Having Tila drop by occasionally along with the wait staff gave it a truly local home-style feel which very few places execute as well as Tila’s does.  Water was constantly topped off and people were asked if they wanted another round of drinks as they were preparing to finish their current one.  Not too early, not too late.

Overall, I cannot rave enough about Tila’s.  If you are in the neighborhood with friends or out of town guests, this is a must.  I’ve lived in Houston for 2 years and this is my first time here.  You can be assured, I will be back here more and more often!  Food pricing is reasonable and a huge if you consider the quality of food and service you are getting.  Portion sizes are just right as well which is very refreshing for this type of restaurant.  One note, this is not the same as TEALA’S which is also quite good and close to this location.  Tila’s is on Shepherd right before you get to Dallas.  There is nothing like this place in Houston.  This is truly a gem of “Clutch City.”

Mike F.
Houston, TX
5 star rating
12/11/2008
Get the huachinango with garlic sauce SOOOOO GOOOD!

Joseph N.
Fontana, CA
4 star rating
11/6/2008
Tila’s is a great roll in on a Friday and hang out on the patio with your flip flops kinda place.  Mainly, go there for the huge tequila selection they have.  Ask for a tequila menu. There are at least 50 different kinds of anejo, reposado blanco etc listed. Have it served margarita up with a little salt.  Their margarita mix cuts through the muskiness and heat of the tequila while still enjoying its complexity and long finish.  Corazon, Oro Azul, Cabo Wabo, El Tesoro just to name a few to try.  Don’t go with the familiar Parton, Don Julio and Sauza, be adventurous.
Tila’s has a lighter more refined Tex Mex better suited for people not looking to get filled up with lard, greasy cheese and mass amounts of meats.  They do a good fresh guacamole with large chunks of avocados and a good squeeze lime juice for acidity.  The queso fundidois not swimming in grease and contains big chunks of bell peppers and onions mixed in with shrimp, fajita beef or chicken. The cheese is more like a mozzarella – light and tangy.  Try the grilled scallions.  Its sweet and crunchy like a flavorful celery stick. Main dishes I have less experience on this but I do know their refried black beans are spicy hot so watch out.

Intern S.
Houston, TX
5 star rating
10/30/2008
Tila’s is by far the best Mexican restaurant in Houston! The food is to die for and the restaurant itself is warm and welcoming. My favorite part by far is the extensive variety of tequilas and the wonderful patio. The perfect end to a hectic day is basking in the Fall air on the Tila’s patio with a margarita in one hand and a plantain chip topped with amazing salsa in the other.

Rose K.
Boston, MA
5 star rating
11/17/2007
Not a lot of vegetarian options, but the stuff I can eat was great.  They have corn on the cob as a side dish with lime and a nice crust, and it was just perfect.   Yum!

Vanessa R.
Houston, TX
5 star rating
6/22/2008
fantastic! this place is so cute and their food is great as well. they serve chips and fried plantains with salsa as soon as u sit down..the fried plantains are great and so is the salsa. The Sangria is really good as well. Your really can’t go wrong with anything on their menu. The fideo is yummy and their brunch menu is outstanding. Next time ur there try a peach fuzztini…its a new twist on ur average mimosa…you won’t be sorry It’s a great crowd and the restrooms are clean which is always a plus! This is one of my favorite places in houston.

Mark P.
Katy, TX
5 star rating
7/8/2008

MAKE YOUR OWN TAMALES are unbelievably good.  Their entire menu is awesome, the mojitos and drink are great as well.  A little on the pricey side, but the service and food are worth it, they have a big rent bill to pay I bet at that location.

Warrigal W.
Long Beach, CA
5 star rating
5/3/2008

Amazing, creative and unique menu. Great place to bring out-of-town guests since it’s like nothing most people have seen. Brie and pickled pear quesadilla? YUMMY!! Everything on their menu is awesome but especially the appetizers. They have more traditional Mexican too, but it’s all very thoughtful and not greasy. I remember the Halibut with red and green sauce being amazing, and their nachos are good too. They had some roasted red (or yellow?) pepper soup that was just fantastic also. Oh, and carrot corn bisque!!! I can’t believe I’m remembering these details after 2 years not even living in Houston any more. Tila’s is one of Houston’s redeeming features. And tey are dog friendly too. Outdoor patio is nice and cozy even for being on Shepherd. And they have a great brunch.